Show Features Widest Range Of Period War Birds Ever Seen In Area

As a major part of the events slated for Daniel Webster College's 2005 Aviation Heritage Festival, fourteen WWII vintage aircraft will be flying into Nashua's Boire airport and will be on September 24th and 25th.

The Aviation Heritage Festival, sponsored by Daniel Webster College of Nashua, is scheduled for Saturday, September 24 and Sunday, September 25. The display of WWII vintage war birds honors the veterans of World War II, which ended 60 years ago.

The 14 aircraft represent the complete range of planes the pilots, crews and support personnel would encounter from the first entry of the U.S. into the war through the Berlin blockade by the Soviet Union during the post-war occupation of Germany. They include the three major trainers as well as fighters, bombers and transport aircraft.

Many of the rare aircraft are flying in from the country's major "living history" aircraft museums, with nine from the Collings Foundation, in Stow, Massachusetts. Five of the war birds will be offering flights for a donation to those participating in the festival.

Creating the most anticipation and excitement is the first New England appearance of a Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter aircraft, one of only five that are still in flight condition. It is part of the collection of The Air Museum Planes of Fame in Chino, California, one of the largest and oldest aircraft museums in the country.

The P-38J Lightning saw action in most major combat areas during Word Ward II. It was deployed extensively in the North African campaign where the Luftwaffe named it "Der Gabelschwanz Teufel" -- The Forked-Tail Devil. Because of its versatility, the P-38 also was used for dive-bombing, level bombing, ground strafing and photo reconnaissance.

Steve Hinton, president of the museum, will pilot the P-38. Hinton is famous in aviation circles for his vintage aircraft racing records, as well as his work in movies and television, flying vintage aircraft in productions like "Baa Baa Black Sheep," "Pearl Harbor" and "The Rocketeer." He also is co-founder of Fighter Rebuilders, a leading vintage aircraft restoration company that gave rebirth to forty WWII aircraft.

Also highly anticipated is the Spirit of Freedom, a C-54 transport aircraft, owned and operated by the Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation of Farmingdale, New Jersey. It is painted to represent the 48th Troop Carrier Squadron, one of the many units that participated in the momentous mission, the greatest humanitarian event in aviation history.

Timothy Chopp, president and founder of the foundation, is piloting the Spirit of Freedom. William Morrissey of Danville, Indiana, a veteran of the Berlin Airlift where he served as an air traffic controller, will be crewing the aircraft. Both will conduct the tours of the comprehensive museum of the Berlin Airlift on board the aircraft, complete with artifacts, displays, photos and information about the complete history of the airlift and all the changes in politics and aircraft control procedures that resulted from it.

The museum will be open and free of charge to anyone attending the DWC 2005 Aviation Heritage Festival and on Friday, September 23 special talks and tours of the museum are planned for students through the local schools.

The DWC Aviation Heritage Festival also feature a most unique aircraft, the Consolidated B-24J Liberator strategic bomber, the only one of its type still flying in the world although it was the most mass-produced bomber during the war. Operated by the Collings Foundation, it is painted as "Witchcraft," a B-24 assigned to the 467BG, 790BS that completed an amazing 130 combat missions, to honor the 8th Air Force and all who served in England. Flights on the aircraft will be available for a donation.

Other bombers on display at the 2005 Aviation Heritage Festival include:

The Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress "Nine O Nine" strategic bomber, painted to represent an aircraft that flew with the 91st Bomb Group in England in 1944.

The North American B25J Mitchell "Tondelayo" medium bomber is painted to represent an aircraft that flew with the 500th Bomb Squadron in the Pacific during 1943.

Other fighter aircraft on display at the DWC Aviation Heritage Festival include:

• The Republic P-47D Thunderbolt, called "The Unbreakable" by its pilots, is considered the most rugged and dependable aircraft in all military aviation. It is part of the collection of The American Airpower Museum, which, appropriately, is housed in the former production facilities of Republic Aviation in Farmingdale on Long Island in New York. Jim Vocell of the museum will pilot the aircraft.

• The foremost fighter in service when WWII began, the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk served in numerous combat areas from Europe to the Aleutian Islands, the Middle East and Far East, the Southwest Pacific and even Russia. They engaged Japanese aircraft at Pearl Harbor, were flown in China by the famous Flying Tigers, and in North Africa by the first AAF all-black unit, the 99th Fighter Squadron. Also part of The American Airpower Museum collection, the P-40 will be piloted by Dan Dameo of the museum.

• The Vought F4U-5NL Corsair is one of the most famous fighters built during WWII. Its distinctive gull-wing design allows the propeller to rotate without hitting the ground, and was the airplane featured in stories of such groups as the "Black Sheep Squadron." The aircraft if operated by the Colllings Foundation.

• The North American P-51 Mustang is an aircraft that was ordered by the British as a faster, more nimble fighter that could fly higher and farther and carry more ammunition than the P-40. The P-51D called "Glamorous Gal," owned and piloted by Bob Baranaskas of Northport, New York, was from the 335th squadron of the 4th Fighter Group of the 8th Air Force station in England from 1942 until 1945.

Trainers played an important role in preparing the many pilots needed on the combat lines during World War II. Daniel Webster College's 2005 Aviation Heritage Festival will showcase the three major trainers of the era.

• The Boeing PT-17 Stearman Kaydet primary trainer was the first aircraft used to train pilots on the basics before going on to learn how to fly a fighter or bomber. Collings Foundation operates the aircraft; flights are available for a donation.

• The North American AT-6 Texan advanced trainer was used to perfect formation flying and attack flying skills before progressing into fighter aircraft. The festival will feature a Navy version of the AT-6 and is owned by Bob Baranaskas, with his son Chris as the pilot, as well as an AT6 operated by the Collings Foundation with flights available for a donation.

• Rounding out the trainer lineup is the Cessna UC-78 Bobcat multi-engine trainer, the type used to teach pilots before transitioning to the heavy bombers. The trainer is operated by the Collings Foundation.

Also included in the WWII aircraft display is the C-47 Skytrain transport aircraft, the workhorse of WWII. It was used throughout the war to carry cargo, troops and as a medical airlift aircraft, as well as in the beginning of the Berlin Airlift before being replace by the C-54 with its larger cargo capacity. The aircraft is part of the collection of the American Airpower Museum.

One German aircraft will be at the festival as well - the Fieseler Fi-156 Storch, an observation aircraft able to take off and land in very short distances, made famous in the daring raid to rescue and recapture Benito Mussolini near the end of WWII. The aircraft is operated by the Collings Foundation.

The Daniel Webster College 2005 Aviation Heritage Festival runs from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, September 24 and 25 at Boire Field, the Nashua Municipal Airport. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors, $5 for youth 3 to 12, and children two and under are free. A discounted family pass is available for $35.

FMI: www.dwc.edu/news/2005AHFpr.shtml